Daily Dunklin Democrat: Local News: 2-year-old's autopsy reveals death was caused by head trauma, mother and boyfriend charged in connection with assault

Joanie Fowler

A Pemiscot County woman has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child, following the death of her two-year-old daughter. It is expected that County Prosecutor, Mike Hazel, will also be filing a charge of murder in the second degree against the woman's boyfriend.

According to the Pemiscot County Sheriff's Department, Joanie Fowler, 21, turned herself into authorities on Saturday and will appear before Judge Byron Luber at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 7. Fowler is currently being held on no bond in connection with the child's death.

On Wednesday, Sept. 30, area authorities reported being called to a residence North of Pascola, Mo., where a child was reported as 'not breathing.'

Matthew Taylor

As medical personnel and law enforcement arrived on the scene, they learned that the child was still not breathing, Pemiscot County Sheriff Tommy Greenwell noted.

According to Greenwell, the mother of the child, Fowler, had initially told authorities that she and the child were involved in a four wheeler accident around 6 a.m., the same morning. After receiving conflicting stories, law enforcement officials secured the residence and began a criminal investigation.

During the course of the investigation, officials learned that the mother's boyfriend, Matthew Dylon Taylor had struck the child in the face, twice, causing serious physical injury. The child, Lillian Fowler, 2, was airlifted to Lebonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., where she was listed in critical condition, before later being pronounced dead on Thursday afternoon.

Following Lillian's death, an autopsy was performed which revealed that Lillian died of head trauma, according to police.

Officials say that Taylor is currently in custody being held on the charge of assault in the first degree.

Details regarding the expected additional charges against Taylor, and information regarding Fowler's appearance in court will be published once the information is available.

May he rot in hell!!!

-- Posted by smitty on Mon, Oct 5, 2009, at 11:29 AM

String em up..Mom is just has bad as BF there for lying about what happened.

-- Posted by MrsRobbieD on Mon, Oct 5, 2009, at 2:03 PM

Too many of these slugs are getting off too lightly when they murder a child. 20 years for that last piece of excrement that was recently convicted, and not much hope that this baby killer will get much worse. You folks in the bootheel, and Missouri in general, need to insist from the people wanting to be elected to the legislature that they come up with laws containing special circumstances allowing the death penalty for the murder or rape of any child under the age of 18. Tell the next politician that asks for your vote that you will only vote for him or her if they pledge, publicly, to introduce such legislation immediately after being sworn in. While you are at it, insist that any candidate for county prosecutor pledge to bring the full force of the law down on any meth-head, psychopath, sociopath, or coward that doesn't live up to the most basic of human standards.

Go on, put down that remote, give up watching "Idol" for a few episodes, and do something meaningful before any other innocent children fall prey to irresponsible parenting and mean, stupid boyfriends.

-- Posted by arbyrd01 on Mon, Oct 5, 2009, at 2:59 PM

I agree...the mother is just as guilty as the boyfriend. Both of them are just a waste of space.

-- Posted by aminyard on Tue, Oct 6, 2009, at 6:12 PM

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SHOULD A MOTHER BE INVOLVED IN SUCH AN ORDEAL AS THIS. ONE THAT DOES SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS JUST A FEMALE THAT HAD A BABY SHE IS NOT A MOTHER. A MOTHER LOVES,SUPPORTS THE WELFARE OF HER CHILD AND IS WILLING TO LAY DOWN HER OWN LIFE FOR HER CHILD.I THANK GOD FOR MY MOTHER EVEN THOUGH WE HAD VERY LITTLE MY MOTHER WAS THERE FOR ME ALWAYS.

-- Posted by OLIVERASIYO on Tue, Oct 6, 2009, at 8:51 PM

how was she supposed to know she was asleep. he did this at 5am so of course she was asleep she did not know anything had happened until she woke up she had know fault in this at all so why dont yall leave her alone

-- Posted by johnnyfowler on Thu, Oct 8, 2009, at 1:51 AM

Johnny,

I'll try to make this really simple for ya: SHE LIED ABOUT HOW THE CHILD GOT HURT!!!! SHE WAS COVERING UP FOR HER HANDSOME AND CHARMING BOYFRIEND. SHE IS AS WORTHLESS AS HE IS, AND DESERVES NO SYMPATHY. That simple enough for ya, Johnny Boy?

-- Posted by arbyrd01 on Thu, Oct 8, 2009, at 3:45 PM